This is the latest book in the brilliant DI Alex Finn series and I have loved all the previous books but this was by far the best so far it really is a series not to be missed if you love a police procedural with a great cast of characters. I really liked the idea of Finn reopening a cold case and particularly enjoyed the different timelines I thought it worked really well. The twists were surprising and as always the writing was superb but what makes these books so special is how real both Finn and the other members of the are. The pace of the read was perfect and the gripping storyline kept me hooked throughout and although I flew through the book I was sad when it ended and look forward to the next in the series.
So a 5 star read for me and one I would highly recommend and many thanks to Will Shindler please and please can we have more!
My thanks also to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

DI Alex Finn returns in The Cold Case which is the latest book by Will Shindler and whilst it includes some backstory, due to the nature of the crime, it is another excellent addition to a consistently great series.

Definitely recommended.

Fantastic police procedural. Highly recommended the whole series. Good plot and great character progression. Loved it and I'm sure you will too.

Melange of Threads..
DI Alex Finn returns in this complex and cleverly written procedural. What exactly links the events of 2009 and the position in which Finn finds himself in 2023. Finn has certainly not forgotten what happened, he never will - after all to an extent they failed. For someone else, the situation may be personal. How far will they go to get what they want? Wholly compelling with a deftly drawn and credible cast, a mystery at its heart, a pacy narrative and a clever melange of threads past and present.

I've absolutely loved all of the previous novels in this series which I felt was getting better and better. However, for me this instalment was definitely weaker than the previous novels in the series.
It's a well written, excellent police procedural that links events in 2009 and the disappearance of three teenagers and 2023 when DI Alex Finn who investigated the disappearances in 2009 is caught up in the aftermath.
However for me it was too slow paced with a plot that didn't wholly capture my interest.
I still think this is an excellent series and look forward to the next in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars

Thanks to Will and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Cold Case before the publication date.
Although this is the fifth book in the D.I. Alex Finn series, it is the first book in the series which I have read.

Set in 3 timeframes, the plot has many threads weaving through it. There are plenty of twists and turns and even more red herrings leading to potential suspects.

I’ve been a big fan of this series and set of characters since book 1. And I look forward to the new books with eagerness.

After the shocking events of the previous book, this was a book that was always going to have a hard act to follow, and for the first time I think it falls just a little short of the heights of the others in the series,

In saying that though, if you want a supremely researched and crafted police procedural with characters who feel real then this is for you.

I didn’t dislike the book, I enjoyed the book, I just found a little slower than usual in the build up and I wasn’t enamoured with the storyline. Though as the book moved on and the pace accelerates, there are some huge shocks and the bad guy reveal is really very good.

I also felt or wandered if the series has reached an end or something of a crossroads as the finale in someways suggested that to be the case to me.

A series, I love and will continue with, should it carry on, characters I cheer for and feel at home with. It’s a great series and it’s a good book.

Another instalment in the life and career of Alex Finn. A cold case takes him back 15 years while at the same time being very much in the present. Really enjoyable, and when you think the book has reached its conclusion the loose ends come in to play and the story takes a whole new direction. Overall a good book that could do with a little more editing as errors of names and gender cropped up here and there. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

Alex Finn is back! A great read, set in two timelines, one where Alex is a young police officer dealing with a horrific kidnapping and murder, the other 15 years later in the present day, trying to determine where the original investigation went wrong.

Fantastic writing, really clever plot, struggled to put it down!

Highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Summer 2009, the UK is suffering a heatwave, three teenage friends decide to go to their hideout taking some drinks with them, on the way two get kidnapped, one is left behind, just two weeks previously another teenager had been kidnapped and hadn't been found. DI Alex Finn was just a constable at the time.

Fast forward to the present day and a female body is found connected to the original case, DI Finn is taken hostage can he and his team work out what happened before as both cases collide?

Brilliant read, could not put it down.

My thoughts about Will Shindler’s The Cold Case. Is a build-up of events is crucial in a thriller, especially in a Whodunnit story. Writer Will Shindler succeeds in creating that buildup in the first half with his solid and intriguing writing. The main crime event takes some time to happen. But when it does, you are eager to know what happened, how it happened, why it happened and mainly who did it. The narrative becomes more complex in the second half, and I mean that positively. We are left to speculate as to what must have actually happened. When DI Alex Finn looks into an old case. we discover some unexpected information about the missing people old secrets are revealed, and the list of suspects keeps getting bigger. Writer Will Shindler is successful in engrossing us entirely in the suspense plot till it becomes monotonous. Hence, even when the twist after the twist happens, I wasn’t surprised. But I was interested in the person’s motive. Thankfully, the revelation element makes up for the overstretched investigative part. I was thrilled by the series of unfortunate events that led to the crime. Will Shindler’s The Cold Case story begins in 2009. During a summer heatwave, teenagers are going missing. Junior officer Alex Finn takes the case and fears that the disappearances are linked. In a race against the clock to find and rescue the children alive, Finn and his team are only partially successful. Two of the children are saved, but they were too late for Oliver. And the killer got away. Then the story moves to 2023 DI Alex Finn is still tormented by the cases of his youth none more than so than the 2009 kidnappings. And it seems someone else has not forgotten either. They want answers after all this time, and with a gun in their pocket and their sights set on Alex, they’ll do anything to get what they’re after. The mark of a well-written police procedural thriller lies in its ability to grab our attention and keep us invested throughout, and more importantly make us care for the key characters. Writer Will Shindler does that skilfully with Fifth book in the DI Alex Finn series, building a taut thriller that doesn’t lose momentum. Overall Will Shindler’s The Cold Case is a well-constructed police procedural thriller such as this one had the potential to end on a high note, with a climax that can knock your socks off. Will Shindler’s The Cold Case deserves a thumbs up. I would like to say a big thank you to writer Will Shindler, and Alainna Georgiou from Hodder Books for kindly sending me a gifted proof arc copy for me to read and review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥💥

Another well written addition to the Alex Finn series told through two timelines, Summer 2009 and the present day, wintertime.
Attention to detail with the police procedures is spot on this was a fast paced book with plenty of gruesome scenes.Will Shindler has done it again.
Great read recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC

I've really enjoyed all of Will Schindler's novels and this was no exception.
Whilst he is a safe pair of hands in the thriller genre, this is still not for the faint hearted with many gruesome but never gratuitous scenes.
Just the right length with excellent pacing, superb, realistic characters and a very satisfying conclusion.

#TheColdCase #NetGalley
Awesome
During a summer heatwave, teenagers are going missing. Junior officer Alex Finn takes the case and fears that the disappearances are linked. In a race against the clock to find and rescue the children alive, Finn and his team are only partially successful. Two of the children are saved, but they were too late for Oliver.
And the killer got away.
DI Alex Finn is still tormented by the cases of his youth - none more than so than the 2009 kidnappings. And it seems someone else has not forgotten either. They want answers after all this time, and with a gun in their pocket and their sights set on Alex, they'll do anything to get what they're after...
Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is one very thrilling read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The team are still reeling after the events in the previous book and a new DC joins the team. Finn has to revisit a cold case from his past and has doubts put in his mind whether they got the right man at that time, and Paulsen investigates a murder with links to the cold case.

I was pulled into the story straightaway. I love this authors writing style and the portrayal of his characters, they are very likeable, believable and realistic and I always root for them. The story flows well here and moves from past to present times very easily. The plot line is very intricate with lots of threads, and went off in an unexpected direction several times that just added to my enjoyment of this read. I felt like I was unwrapping layer upon layer of lies, secrets, deceit and subterfuge following both the old investigation alongside the current one. What I liked here was getting to know Finn as a young DS, knowing a bit more of his history and how he met Karin - this, for me, rounds him out more as a character and gives more depth into what makes him tick. The characters here are mostly likeable with some having secrets that I couldn't wait to find out. I had so much empathy for one of them and how previous events had shaped them. I loved the support Skegman gave Paulsen when she was running the investigation, and will admit to being on the fence initially about the new DC although as time went on I did like them more. Overall I found this to be a very absorbing and thrilling read that grabbed and held my attention and interest from start to finish. Dare I say I think it's the best book by Will Shindler so far ? If you're a fan of police procedurals I'd recommend this although would say if you're new to this author read the books in order to know the characters from the beginning.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

An exiting fast moving crime novel. The title "Cold Case" , alludes to three teenagers that were abducted fifteen years previously where one of them ended up being murdered in horrific circumstances .
There has been much doubt about the perpetrator who confessed, but died in prison. D.I. Alex Finn was taken hostage after delivering the death notice of one of the survivors of the abduction, with the hostage taker demanding that the abduction and murder incident fifteen years ago be re-investigated. The hostage taker always felt that the Police had the wrong man .
The story moves at lightening breathless speed where death is around every corner . Behind in the background is the mysterious "Red Tide" a shadowy person that Alex Finn and his D.S., Mattie Paulson is trying to uncover.

A really great read with a satisfying ending .

The brand new addition to Will Schindler’s DI Alex Finn series, is an example of how to write great police procedurals.

It’s the summer of 2009 and the UK is suffering a rare and excessive heatwave, when an eighteen year old boy and girl, friends from the same school, are kidnapped in broad daylight, this follows on from a similar recent case of an eighteen year old boy going missing in the same area - he appeared to vanish into thin air.

Present day and its winter time, and DI Alex Finn and his colleagues are trying to come to terms with the loss of a colleague on duty. It’s hit them all hard, but they need to get themselves together for what will be a truly difficult and distressing case with similarities to the 2009 cases - however, the man convicted of those cases, and who admitted his guilt is now dead!

The past and the present come together to produce a gripping addition to this terrific series. Alex makes for a wonderful protagonist, the storyline is sharp and gritty and I love the relationship between him and DS Mattie Paulsen, although Paulsen herself is having difficulty coming to terms with the new DC Vanessa Nash, and makes Nash’s first day on the team very uncomfortable, but she proves her worth. Another exceptionally good read.

DI Alex Finn and his team are already having a tough time grieving the recent loss of one of their colleagues. It's the dead of winter and things are about to get very heated indeed as an old case from 2009 suddenly surges to life once again.

Finn was involved in the case many years ago and retains a personal relationship with the victims. At that time, the murder of an 18 year old boy and girl was swiftly followed by the murder of another 18 year old. Now it seems that things were a lot more complicated than initially thought.

In a story involving old cases from Finn's past, links to the dark web, dead teenagers and grieving families, the character of Alex Finn is skilfully brought to life by the author, along with a vibrant cast of supporting characters. Small personal touches and insights are provided and make the characters more memorable.

This was a very effective thriller, with some satisfying twists and a few red herrings thrown in for good measure. An enjoyable read for anyone who likes a good police procedural. It gets 3.5 stars from me.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. Yet again another great book featuring Alex Finn, I really enjoyed it and it kept me guessing to the end.

Now this is how you do police proceedurals/ thrillers! It's so much more than any one genre the characters are brought to life and I was just as invested in their personal lives as I was their professional ones. The plot has some good twists and turns and I was led in completely the wrong direction more than once! It's actually quite thought provoking for a thriller which doesn't happen often. It just has you wondering about things we can all relate to such as being stuck in the past and how really minor things connect people in ways you wouldn't expect. I absolutely loved it! So cleverly written and beautifully written